Gold medal hockey game too early for some

Team Canada fans line-up outside Library Square Public House to watch the Men’s gold medal hockey game of the Sochi Olympics at 4 a.m. Sunday in snow flurries. Photo by Graham McFie.

Although Langara students showed interest in the men’s hockey gold medal game, for most it was not enough to get up for a 4 a.m. puck drop.

Time difference too large

“The only problem I had with it was that it was in Russian time,” said general science student Hamid Taher. “No one is going to stay up until five in the morning to watch.”

Taher said he would have watched the game if it was aired at a different time.

Criminal justice student Ryan Parker thought of an alternative way to watch the game and a more conventional hour

“I just PVRed it,” said Parker. “I watched it when I woke up.”

Team Canada shut out Team Sweden in a 3-0 win last Sunday, earning Canada another gold medal in the last event of the Sochi Olympics.

Pubs filled, despite not offering alcohol

In Vancouver, snow flurries and a steady zero degrees Celsius chilled Team Canada fans that sought company in the few pubs that remained open for the game. Long queues stretched from the entrances.

For the occasion, the B.C. government allowed pubs later business hours under the prerequisite that these pubs notify the government by Feb. 21 at noon. However, they could not serve alcohol during the game.

Terry Rowsell is a communications policy and planning analyst for the provincial government. He listed eight venues that had made the request, but stressed that this did not guarantee that they were open Sunday.

The Georgia Straight website highlighted Library Square Public House and The Pint Public House & Sports Bar as two pubs that opened on Sunday.

Those celebrating at the Library Square were shown on live on national television amongst a handful of other venues across the country watching the game.